Master's Programme in Business Administration - Strategy and Management in International Organisations, 120 credits

Introduction

The Business Administration - Strategy and Management in International Organizations programme is a second cycle programme that leads to a Master of Science (120 Credits) degree with a major in Business Administration. This two-year master’s programme provides the students with good analytical skills based on solid academic knowledge and rich empirical examples. The programme's overall aim is to contribute to the education of a new generation of researchers and practitioners, competent to understand science and business as social phenomena. The international environment of the programme will also provide the students with good cross-cultural competencies and communication skills. The students are ready for management positions or consultancy work. Besides, the programme is designed to provide post-graduate training in Business Administration at an advanced level and prepare for future PhD-studies.

Aim

National Qualifications according to the Swedish Higher Education Act

Knowledge and understanding

For a Degree of Master (120 credits) the student shall:

• demonstrate knowledge and understanding in Business Administration, including both broad knowledge of the field and a considerable degree of specialized knowledge in certain areas of the field as insight into current research and development work
• demonstrate specialized methodological knowledge in Business Administration.

Competence and skills

For a Degree of Master (120 credits) the student shall:

• demonstrate the ability to critically and systematically integrate knowledge and analyze, assess and deal with complex phenomena, issues and situations even with limited information
• demonstrate the ability to identify and formulate issues critically, autonomously and creatively as well as to plan and, using appropriate methods, undertake advanced tasks within predetermined time frames and so contribute to the formation of knowledge as well as the ability to evaluate this work
• demonstrate the ability in speech and writing both national and internationally to clearly report and discuss his or her conclusions and the knowledge and arguments on which they are based in dialogue with different audiences, and
• demonstrate the skills required for participation in research and development work or autonomous employment in some other qualified capacity. 

Judgement and Approach

For a Degree of Master (120 credits) the student shall:

• demonstrate the ability to make assessments in Business Administration informed by relevant disciplinary, social and ethical issues and also to demonstrate awareness of ethical aspects of research and development work
• demonstrate insight into the possibilities and limitations of research, its role in society and the responsibility of the individual for how it is used, and
• demonstrate the ability to identify the personal need for further knowledge and take responsibility for his or her ongoing learning.

Content

The learning pillars of the programme are research-based knowledge grounded in rich empirical examples, a focus on critical and in-depth analysis, and communication of results. The programme combines the depth of a research master with the rich practical examples and casework-intensity of a more practical master. The programme courses therefore each lay a solid research foundation in the form of articles and books by both classic and contemporary great thinkers. On top of that, each course provides insights into the workings of a number of international organizations and empirical phenomena.

Students then use their research-based foundation to draw connections, define problems and analyze through for example casework and projects. Each course also practices the students’ communication skills in one or more areas, through the writing of argumentative essays, oral presentations, feedback-sessions, debates and seminars. 

The first two semesters of the program are common to all program students. This includes courses on leadership and organization, international management, management control, business finance and human resources. The third semester is also common to all program students and include strategy and marketing. It is possible to choose to do a semester's exchange studies during the third semester. The semester abroad should include courses within Business Administration, with at least one course within strategy. 

During the fourth semester, the program concludes with a master's thesis in one of the areas covered in the previous semesters.
 

The heading “Curriculum” contains a list of courses included in the programme. The course syllabuses for these describe in more detail the contents, teaching and working methods, and examination.

Teaching and working methods

The programme seeks to simulate the future work environment of the students, and hence learning processes are centered in teamwork, leadership and organization, and set in an environment where the study tempo and expectations are high and the diversity of people great. The cultural mix enables to use the class itself as a teaching tool, where the development of cross-cultural competences becomes a positive side effect of for example team projects.

The main formats of course instruction are lectures, seminars and workshops. These emphasize group discussion and rely on student initiative, making them responsive to the articulation of students' interests. The approach to instruction is to some extent subject based, but a strong emphasis is placed on relevance to students' chosen research topic.

Course work is largely intended to assist students with articulating and developing their research topics.

Group discussion and students' initiatives play central roles. Thus, students are expected to assume some part of the responsibility for defining the agenda of discussion within courses and for organizing and carrying out seminars and workshops.
 

The course syllabuses describe in more detail the contents, teaching and working methods, and examination.

Entry requirements

• Bachelor's degree equivalent to a Swedish Kandidatexamen within Business Administration or Economics
  or
  A bachelor's degree equivalent to a Swedish Kandidatexamen with/and at least 60 ECTS (two semesters of full-time study) of Business Administration-related courses (for example Accounting, Marketing, Organization Theory, Strategy, Finance, HRM)
• English corresponding to the level of English in Swedish upper secondary education (Engelska 6)
  Exemption from Swedish

Threshold requirements

The student must have passed at least 40 ECTS credits of the first year in order to get access to the courses at the third semester of the program. The student must have passed at least 65 ECTS credits of the programme's courses in order to be allowed to start the master's thesis work.

Degree requirements

The student will be awarded the degree of Master of Science (120 credits) with a major in Business Administration provided all course requirements are completed and that the student fulfills the general and specific eligibility requirements including proof of holding a Bachelor's (kandidat) or a corresponding degree.

Completed courses will be listed in the degree certificate.
 

Course requirements to achieve a degree can be found in Appendix 2 to the Higher Education Ordinance (1993:100). Precise requirements for general degrees at first-cycle and second-cycle level can be found in LiU's current regulations.

A degree certificate will be issued by the faculty board on application by the student. A diploma supplement will be included as an appendix to the degree certificate.

Degree in Swedish

Ekonomie masterexamen med huvudområde Företagsekonomi

Degree in English

Degree of Master of Science (120 credits) with a major in Business Administration

Specific information

Teaching language

The teaching language is English.

Other information

The programme reserves the right to cancel a specialization course if too few have applied to the course in question.
 

Transferred credits

Decisions about transferring credit are taken by the faculty board, or by a person designated by the board, after application from the student.

Other information

If special circumstances prevail, the vice-chancellor may in a special decision specify the preconditions for temporary deviations from this programme syllabus, and delegate the right to take such decisions.